


Parasite

by AllumetteRouge (RedRaidingHood)



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: M/M, Magic AU, and Pam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-12 01:37:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9049987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedRaidingHood/pseuds/AllumetteRouge
Summary: Jason had been warned, but with the storm raging outside, the witch’s cabin had been too inviting not to try his luck.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Secret Santa gift for [kyoro-chan](http://kyoro-chan.tumblr.com) on tumblr!  
> Hope you like this <3

Jason had been warned, but with the storm raging outside, the witch’s cabin had been too inviting not to try his luck. In fact, the witch wasn’t even at home. Her son, Tim, was.

Blowing at his tea, he watched the kid tinker about the room, heaping things in his arms that Jason wouldn’t have touched with a stick. A very long stick.

“Please excuse the mess,” he said. “It’s been a while since anyone came over.”

“Can’t imagine why.”

Nonchalantly, Tim kicked a book that had been trying to bite his ankle. It was fascinating watching him move around the mess that was the witch’s cabin, really. There were so many strange things, yet Tim acted as if a visitor was much more exciting than biting books or tiny heads in a jar.

With a smile, the kid walked backwards to a small cot in one corner of the room. “Don’t be an ass,” he told Jason before letting the trinkets drop on the bed. “I have enough customers so I don’t have to eat Pam yet.”

Jason shook his head. He’d been warned about this place. Sure, he hadn’t known what to expect, but a cute boy making him tea and acting as if Christmas came early was certainly not what the others had thought of when they’d told him to stay clear.

“So, who’s Pam?”

Jason was pretty sure Tim blushed at the question, although it was kind of dark in the cabin. The kid pointed to the window sill right beside the cot where a single plant sat in a cracked pot. “I’m not weird, okay?”

“Well....” Taking a deep breath, Jason readjusted his idea of witches for the umpteenth time ever since he’d been let in. “You are a witch’s son. That’s kinda weird.”

“So not.”

“They told me she’s only been hanging around with drakes before they died out in this area.”

“Okay, yeah. So maybe that part of my family is a little weird.”

Jason blinked. He had heard about that rumour, but drakes had died out centuries ago. “Say what now?”

Hissing, Tim ran a hand through his hair. He glared at the plant before rolling his eyes and coming to sit with Jason at the table. “Like you said. It’s all a little weird.”

For years, ‘weird’ had been being adopted by the Lord Protector after stealing his horse on a hunting trip. Or the strange, exotic food his younger brother got sent from his mother’s family. ‘Weird’ had been going out at night in clothes that did not fit a man of his status only to beat bad people up.

Tim nudged his knee a little, silently telling him to make more room on the bench they were sharing. “Pam’s been telling me not to comment on any of the rumours about my mom.”

“Wise attitude for a plant.”

“Yeah,” Tim conceded, “Most of it is true anyway.” He put his head on the table, not caring to look up at Jason. “And the rest just fuels the fear she calls respect, you know.”

With the kid deflated like this, Jason lost his motivation to feel creeped out by a plant. Or by a boy imagining that plant talking. From all he had seen during the last few hours, Tim was lonely. He had just been so excited to see another soul in this dreary woods he was now unloading his innermost thoughts on the one person that would listen.

“You don’t get out much, do you?” It wasn’t a question, not really, yet he could see Tim’s ears turn red.

 

The first time Jason actually started to believe Pam to be special was during the night. He’d slept soundly, curled into blankets and furs Tim had gotten him. Magic was not unusual and he had been prepared for a random dust bunny to hop over his chest - he had not been prepared for Pam, though. 

Last he had seen her, she had been sitting there on the windowsill, her long vines hanging over Tim’s head. It took little imagination to see her gently stroking her leaves over the boy’s cheek in his sleep. Jason was no magician, no witch, nor had been raised around magic, yet his nightly outings had showed him all kinds of strange things; most of them dangerous. Biting books he could deal with, dust rolling around in almost life-like forms, too, but there were supposed to be limits to magic.

And plants were not supposed to move from their spot in the blink of an eye.

“Hi.” Jason chocked on the word, rearing back so the pot wasn’t right in his face anymore. Instantly chiding himself for it, he sat up straight and rubbed his eyes. Surely this was some kind of strangely normal in the cabin. It was a witch’s cabin after all.

With a sigh he eyed the plant again. Pam seemed like any other plant he’d seen: green leaves, hanging of little stems in pairs of threes. Only her vines felt a little too short to reach Tim from her usual place on the sill this close.

Behind him, Tim shifted on the bed, throwing his blanket back. His voice was hushed, as if not to wake anyone else. Which was stupid, since it was only the two of them and Jason already was wide awake.

“I don’t get it. Is this some kind of joke?”

“It’s fine, I just --” He turned to the kid, only to see the plant sitting in the window. Jason didn’t need to check, he knew when he’d turn back, Pam would no longer be down on the floor with him. He still did. “I’m fine,” he told Tim, pulling the blankets around him. The plant was gone. “Storm just woke me up.”

 

Tim stared out of the window, a bowl of soup balanced on his knees. “If this keeps up, we’re gonna have to eat Pam.”

Jason gave the plant a curious look, but she didn’t seem to care enough to move. It had been two days by now and Jason was sure something was wrong. Storms usually didn’t last that long here and the cabin wasn’t stocked enough to feed two men for more than four more days. Yet Tim still seemed to enjoy his company. A lot. The kid never seemed to stop talking - and it had yet to annoy Jason, to be fair. 

“How come you don’t have more supplies?”

Shrugging, the kid turned on his bed, sitting to face Jason cross-legged. “Never needed more. The nannies usually come while I sleep and restock for another week.”

“Nannies?”

Tim bit his lip, a smile blooming on his face as if he was about to tell Jason a secret. “I tried to see them some time when I was a kid. But they don’t come when you’re not good. - Maybe they just have to grow accustomed to you.”

“Didn’t do anything,” he grumbled, concentrating on getting the spoon to his mouth instead of deciding what to comment on. There was so much he wanted to know about the boy. He was cute, nice but chatty. Jason usually didn’t like that, but with Tim it was okay. Tim gave him the feeling of being something special, even if only because he didn’t really meet that many people.

Tim leaned over the bed to place his empty bowl on the floor. “So what do you do?”

“Me? I don’t --”

The boy kicked him lightly and shook his head. “I meant what do you do when you’re not forced to stay at a witch’s cabin?”

“Oh, I... Not that much, really. I go around looking for trouble, mostly.” When he saw the strange look he was given, Jason just shrugged. “I was on my way to Arkham when the storm hit.”

“Arkham? But isn’t that the one where people go insane every day?”

Sneering, Jason put his own bowl down. “You and I both know there’s more to that.”

“I do know someone in their historical society,” he admitted.

“And you’re a witch’s son.”

Crossing his arms, Tim shut his mouth audibly. The kid was glaring at him. “Just because my mother has magic does not mean I know about everything magic that happens.” 

With that, the kid stood, taking the bowls and stalked to the sink. He made it very obvious he didn’t want to talk anymore, wanted to be left alone, even in the confined space of the cabin. 

Jason let himself fall back on the bed with a curse on his lips. He’d fucked up and if the plant above glared at him from her place on the sill, he was pretty sure he’d earned whatever punishment Pam had in store.

 

Jason woke to the smell of scrambled eggs and tea as the kid put a bowl in front of him. Relief burned hot in his chest when Tim sat down beside him with a smile. He wanted to sit and speak, apologize for his careless attitude, but even breathing suddenly felt hard. Before panic could set in, though, Tim leaned over him, brushing his hands along Jason’s throat and under the vines that had tangled around it.

“Jup, good we have some honey left. You’re gonna need it. - Pam, I don’t want him dead, okay?”

As silently as they had come, the vines moves and that did it. That had Jason reeling, backing into a corner away from the plant. He had faced dangerous criminals and magic users, but he had yet to deal with a murderous pet plant.

“I’m sorry.”

_What._

Tim bit his lip, not looking Jason in the eye. “I’m sorry for being such a jerk yesterday.”

Jason opened his mouth to protest. It wasn’t Tim’s turn to apologize; it had been Jason who had said such stupid stuff. Still, all he got out was a pathetic croak - that made Tim laugh though. So it was worth the pain it was accompanied by.

“Here.” Tim handed him the tea. “Drink this. It’ll help with the pain and I have a salve for the rash, too.”

Him glaring at the plant made the kid laugh again, so he overplayed his anger a little. Which wasn't that hard, as he had started to fear the plant and fear usually made him angry. In his experience, whatever would and could kill you in your sleep should be dealt with immediately.

The tea did help, but his skin itched enough Tim had to put a bandage around his throat so he wouldn’t keep scratching. In that moment, Jason forgot the plant. Because Tim was close and practically wrapping his arms around him, his hands staying on Jason’s neck just a little too long - and not long enough. Jason's cheeks burned and he was sure Tim must have been able to hear his heart beating against his ribs. Yet, when the kid settled back, he looked flushed, avoiding Jason’s eyes but not getting off the bed.

“Pam... She’s a gift from that friend. The one from Arkham. I haven’t heard from him in a long time.”

Jason reached out, wanting to put a hand on his shoulder as he could still not talk. It ended up on Tim’s thigh. Maybe a little too high, but Jason didn’t care, not when he saw the look he got in return. Not when Tim seemed to cheer up just from that little touch.

“You should eat,” Tim reminded him.

Nodding towards he boy, Jason asked about him.

“I’ve already gotten my share when you were still asleep.”

So Jason ate. Because what else was there to do in this moment?

 

That morning started a pattern Jason didn’t notice until Pam appeared in the kitchen. On the table. Right in front of him.

By now, his throat had healed and the two had an arrangement of a kind - both caring for Tim in their own way. Jason was glad Pam couldn’t talk, though, otherwise, he’d probably be in for the Talk about now. It was pure luck Tim hadn’t picked up on the dreams Jason was having, recycling the images of him wrapping his arms around Jason’s neck and his red-cheeked smile and all those little things that drove Jason insane. Even if the storm died down now, he wasn’t sure he’d want to leave.

Pam had picked up on his growing attraction. The first time Jason had needed to sneak to the bathroom in the middle of the night, she had been there, right in the centre of the room. Staring at him.

Staring at him in a similar way as she was now. Without eyes - or a face, really - simple staring was much stranger than it should have been, yet Jason knew there was something wrong, so when she reappeared in the cupboard, pushing it open with her pot, Jason went to investigate.

The little they had talked about supplies, he had learned they wouldn’t last a week. With the whole ‘magic’ and ‘nannies’ thing, Jason hadn’t given it much thought though, as Tim had seemed unperturbed by the state of supplies. He should have. He really should have noticed Tim no longer eating with him, too. 

In the cupboard was enough food to last a week. Four more days had been the estimation yesterday, but with Tim’s share still there, one person could now eat for at least another four.

Growling, Jason threw the cupboard shut, but not before pulling out what he needed. Pam sat beside him as he peeled the potatoes and when the carrots appeared already cut beside him, he didn’t care. Tim was going to eat, those nannies would come back and the storm would end.

“What are you -- Stop! Jason, you’re wasting our supplies!”

“Mine, you mean.” He moved to stand between Tim and the pot where the stew was starting to bubble. Waving his knife in the boy’s general direction, he kept going, “You wouldn’t have eaten it anyway, so it’s mine and I can do with it what I want.”

Tim grabbed the few ingredients he could reach, stubbornly putting them back in the cupboard. Not that Jason minded; he already had everything in the stew that needed to be in there. With a smug grin, he noticed Pam sitting on the table, looking oddly proud.

“Sit,” he said when he put down two bowls with an air of finality. “I’m going to eat and so are you.”

“They won’t let me die, you know?”

“Who?”

“My nannies. I’ve tried -- Jason, they wouldn’t care about you though. So we really only have to make sure you’re fed. It’s only logical.”

Jason sat with a shrug. “Don’t care. I made this for you, I’ll be offended if you won’t eat it.”

“You drive a rough bargain, Jason.”

“Just don’t think the plant would make good company during the rest of the storm if you’d gave up the ghost.”

Smiling around his first spoonful, Tim glanced up. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You should. But the plant’s a close second. Not like there’s that much of a choice.”

The kid ate faster than he should, gulping down the stew like, well, like he had gone hungry for a while. “I’m glad you’re here.” He stopped himself, but didn’t look up from the bowl. For a moment, Jason thought Tin had heard his heart speeding up at those words, but then he resumed eating. “It can be a little lonely with only Pam around.”

“Then why do you stay?”

“I have to wait for my parents,” Tim said, his voice carrying a sad, resigned tone, one that spoke of regular disappointment. It only changed when he looked Jason in the eye. “It’s okay, though. I got to meet you because I stayed.”

His throat dry, Jason felt like Pam had wrapped her vines around him again. There was no way Tim could miss the blush on his face, not when his cheeks and ears felt like they were on fire. He found no words, nothing that was an adequate reply to Tim’s confession. They kept eating in silence with Pam glaring at him like she knew he’d just missed his chance.

 

Finally, the storm died down and, eventually, there were no excuses left to stay. Crossing his arms over his chest, Jason watched the clear sky. The doorframe was still coated with ice, but the snow on the ground didn’t seem unmanageable.

“Well, look at that.”

“Yeah. It’s still a little cold and you’ll have to wade through the snow, but it probably won’t get any better than this. Not around this time of the year.”

Jason smirked down at the kid. “Unlike a certain someone, I’m not a tiny stick that can’t see over that bit of snow.”

Tim shoved his stupid pointy elbow into his ribs, but with the close proximity, the blow was nothing more than a friendly nudge.

It was then that Jason realized they had been right all along. His friends that is. They had been right to warn him, to tell him not to come to this place, because right now, with Tim so close, Jason didn’t want to leave. Not when all he needed to do was bend down a little and kiss that stupid, lonely boy. And he wanted to. He really, really wanted to kiss Tim then and there.

“I’m getting you some blankets and food for your way.”

Without a thought, Jason reached out, grasping Tim’s hand firmly. His mouth was dry and he had no idea how to explain any of this to Tim.

“Thank you for taking care of me.”

“Sure, I...” Tim smiled looking down to where Jason still had his hand wrapped around his. “It was fun.”

Yeah, fun. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought Tim, too, didn’t want him to leave. During his short stay at the witch’s cabin, Jason had come to really like her son - even if it was unlikely Tim was feeling the same. No matter how much he wanted to keep Jason’s company, he wouldn’t leave the cabin and Jason had work to do in Arkham. Nobody would look into the strange happenings there if Jason didn’t. The village had already been announced condemned, walls built around it like they were dealing with a plague. There was a chance Jason wouldn’t make it back, too, yet, if he did... maybe he could pass by the cabin again.

Biting the inside of his cheek, Jason pushed down the hope he was feeling at that idea. It wasn’t like Tim actually liked him just because Jason had a stupid crush. Tim was lonely and just liked the company. 

Looking up, though, Jason felt like someone had just punched him in the chest. Pam probably. The one ... person that Tim had, that cared for him and knew the boy better than anyone else. If even she thought...

Tim followed his gaze, his words small and almost reverent. “Mistletoe,” he whispered.

“Looks like it.” And Jason pulled at the wrist he was still holding. Sometime during this crazy stay, he’d fallen for a weird boy and come to trust an even weirder plant. He leaned down, taking the kiss he had denied himself only moments ago.

With a surprised gasp, Tim pushed closer, his free hand tightening in Jason’s shirt. When they pulled apart, his eyes seemed to have trouble focussing, but he didn’t step back. Didn’t shout or push Jason away.

Eventually, his fist unclenched, flattened against Jason’s chest before patting it uncertainly. Lowly, Jason could hear the boy chuckle. “Not gonna eat Pam tonight.”

“I would hope not,” Jason agreed. He put his hand over Tim’s before the boy could take it away. “You’d starve without her.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“But you don’t have to.”

“Will you come back?”

Jason shrugged, certain Tim could feel his heart beating against his chest. “Can’t let Pam do all the work now, can I?”

**Author's Note:**

> I really am a sucker for magic AUs and, while I might not be on top of my game, I did fall in love with this AU a little. Hope you like it; it’s short and happy and just a little Christmas-y <3
> 
> Visit me on [tumblr](http://allumetterouge.tumblr.com) if you've got the time and happy holidays! <3


End file.
